Yeah, the header of this blog post is very cliche, but honestly, it's the best description I can offer for this nonsense (The Atlanta Journal Constitution released/unveiled its redesigned newspaper today.)
What year is this?
It is 2009, right?
And we're still talking about and throwing resources behind redesigning the hard copy of the newspaper?
That is disappointing to say the least, disturbing to put it frankly.
Some of the highlighted features and touted new benefits of the redesign include, news that's "easy to find", being able to "navigate to the information you want with color-coded sections, at-a-glance headlines and consistent, clear organization," "more color," and a different type font.
Whoa! Let's not get all crazy with the innovation here, guys. (Creative Loafing Atlanta sees my point.)
....but seriously, I'll cut the sarcasm there and just say..."Wow, that's too bad."
And, I'm not sure if this makes this situation ironic or just additionally unfortunate, but the AJC even went as far as to make a kind of infomercial about the redesign a few days ago. View it, and commentary about it by Creative Loafing Atlanta, here.
*sigh*
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
First 100 Days gets dizzying amount of coverage
I agree with Spencer Green. As he stated in his Huffington Post piece: "First 100 Days" coverage can lead to physical ailments....I'll spare you the phrasing he uses. (lol) But PLEASE check it out. Hilarious.
As of this morning at 9:33, Google showed 109 million search results for "First 100 Days" and a Google news search showed 43,000 results.
Mind-boggling.
Still, some news outlets are doing some fairly creative multi-media productions of President Obama's First 100 days.
One of the more interesting approaches would have to be this one by The Los Angeles Times.
"A week before the 2008 election, we asked commuters what they expected from the new president. Here are their initial thoughts and their current views. Times editorial page editor Jim Newton puts the first 100 days in perspective."
It's a little old school -- it's got the Man-on-the-Street vibe to it -- as well as digital and I think I like it.
As of this morning at 9:33, Google showed 109 million search results for "First 100 Days" and a Google news search showed 43,000 results.
Mind-boggling.
Still, some news outlets are doing some fairly creative multi-media productions of President Obama's First 100 days.
One of the more interesting approaches would have to be this one by The Los Angeles Times.
"A week before the 2008 election, we asked commuters what they expected from the new president. Here are their initial thoughts and their current views. Times editorial page editor Jim Newton puts the first 100 days in perspective."
It's a little old school -- it's got the Man-on-the-Street vibe to it -- as well as digital and I think I like it.
Nossip Potpurri: Part III
- The Facts: Sun-Times Media Group Inc. cut an undisclosed number of jobs late this week as part of the newspaper company's effort to trim payroll costs by 15 percent, according to an internal memo obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
My opinion: I hate to sound uneducated here, but simply put, this is totally uncool.
First and foremost it's a shame that Sun-Times Media Group Inc. is cutting more jobs. Secondly, not disclosing the number of jobs it's cutting goes against what media is supposed to stand for: full disclosure. Not cool. Not cool at all.
- The Facts: Look for Gains in 2010, Says RTNDA Survey Director
"Jobs in local television news dropped by 4.3 percent and salaries dropped by 4.4 percent last year. At the same time, stations set a record for the amount of news on the air while the net number of stations originating news declined by only 4 in the past 16 months," the Radio-Television News Directors Association reported on Sunday.
My opinion: While this is not necessarily a Phoenix rising kind of story, it is quasi-encouraging. Hey, things could always be worse.
- Her Opinion: Amy Goodman: Celebrate dissent, diversity
Pacifica Radio, the oldest independent media network in the United States, turns 60 this week as a deepening crisis engulfs mainstream media. Journalists are being laid off by the hundreds, even thousands. Venerable newspapers are being abruptly shuttered. Digital technology is changing the rules, disrupting whole industries. Commercial media are losing audience and advertising. People are exploring new models for media, including nonprofit journalism.
My opinon: It's funny how quickly people forget history. Clearly, this shows that advocacy journalism and independent sources of information and independent media outlets have been around for a while and can have longevity. With all of the panic over the Digital Age and the doubt that indy journalists have a chance, it's good to read pieces like this.
My opinion: I hate to sound uneducated here, but simply put, this is totally uncool.
First and foremost it's a shame that Sun-Times Media Group Inc. is cutting more jobs. Secondly, not disclosing the number of jobs it's cutting goes against what media is supposed to stand for: full disclosure. Not cool. Not cool at all.
- The Facts: Look for Gains in 2010, Says RTNDA Survey Director
"Jobs in local television news dropped by 4.3 percent and salaries dropped by 4.4 percent last year. At the same time, stations set a record for the amount of news on the air while the net number of stations originating news declined by only 4 in the past 16 months," the Radio-Television News Directors Association reported on Sunday.
My opinion: While this is not necessarily a Phoenix rising kind of story, it is quasi-encouraging. Hey, things could always be worse.
- Her Opinion: Amy Goodman: Celebrate dissent, diversity
Pacifica Radio, the oldest independent media network in the United States, turns 60 this week as a deepening crisis engulfs mainstream media. Journalists are being laid off by the hundreds, even thousands. Venerable newspapers are being abruptly shuttered. Digital technology is changing the rules, disrupting whole industries. Commercial media are losing audience and advertising. People are exploring new models for media, including nonprofit journalism.
My opinon: It's funny how quickly people forget history. Clearly, this shows that advocacy journalism and independent sources of information and independent media outlets have been around for a while and can have longevity. With all of the panic over the Digital Age and the doubt that indy journalists have a chance, it's good to read pieces like this.
"And the Pulitzer Prize for Tweeting goes to..."
So the Twitter talk, and talk of Twitter practically never stops.
Oprah tweeted her first tweet and the Web went crazy.
Ashton Kucher and CNN had a Twitter follower face-off.
Just this week Facebook opened its system to third-party developers, allowing them to build Facebook applications that will let users post status updates, share pictures and links, and interact with most other elements of the site without ever visiting Facebook.com. (Some say it's Facebook's way of trying to be like Twitter. Others disagree on the technological spat.)
Microsoft is even trying to be in with the "in crowd", announcing this week a public test of a Twitter-like notification service.
And I must be a bit clairvoyant because apparently people ARE using Twitter to track the Swine Flu outbreak. (An idea that I discussed a few months ago in a class presentation at USC regarding health epidemics and the use of Twitter.)
With the Pulitzer Prize winners being announced last week, this little cartoon came to mind.
It just might be a glimpse into the future.
Never say never.
Oprah tweeted her first tweet and the Web went crazy.
Ashton Kucher and CNN had a Twitter follower face-off.
Just this week Facebook opened its system to third-party developers, allowing them to build Facebook applications that will let users post status updates, share pictures and links, and interact with most other elements of the site without ever visiting Facebook.com. (Some say it's Facebook's way of trying to be like Twitter. Others disagree on the technological spat.)
Microsoft is even trying to be in with the "in crowd", announcing this week a public test of a Twitter-like notification service.
And I must be a bit clairvoyant because apparently people ARE using Twitter to track the Swine Flu outbreak. (An idea that I discussed a few months ago in a class presentation at USC regarding health epidemics and the use of Twitter.)
With the Pulitzer Prize winners being announced last week, this little cartoon came to mind.
It just might be a glimpse into the future.
Never say never.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Scholarly databases becoming collateral damage in Media Wars
Who'd have thunk it?
Databases like LexisNexis are also feeling the pinch as the Digital Media War rages on.
With shrinking staffs and less legacy news being produced databases that rely on original material from newspapers are practically starving for material.
But the databases themselves are to share in the blame for their emaciated state.
As papers began to cut back, databases did little to nothing to find other sources of news to archive and continued to exclude wire reports (and, as we've been learning in class, even wire services have been cutting back.)
A set of scholars even concluded that a Google search uncovers just about twice the number of sources that LexisNexis produces for a given topic.
Funny, I never took the time to think that databases were also on this sinking ship of an industry.
But this does go to support a hypothesis of mine: Google is some sort of info god.
Databases like LexisNexis are also feeling the pinch as the Digital Media War rages on.
With shrinking staffs and less legacy news being produced databases that rely on original material from newspapers are practically starving for material.
But the databases themselves are to share in the blame for their emaciated state.
As papers began to cut back, databases did little to nothing to find other sources of news to archive and continued to exclude wire reports (and, as we've been learning in class, even wire services have been cutting back.)
A set of scholars even concluded that a Google search uncovers just about twice the number of sources that LexisNexis produces for a given topic.
Funny, I never took the time to think that databases were also on this sinking ship of an industry.
But this does go to support a hypothesis of mine: Google is some sort of info god.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Beyond sad...
Apparently, a "higher-up" at the Associated Press didn't know that the organization had a YouTube channel and recently gave a country radio station in Tennessee a cease and desist order regarding its contents.
Will someone please knock the AP in the head with a common sense stick A-SAP!?!
Will someone please knock the AP in the head with a common sense stick A-SAP!?!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Still useful....I guess.
I honestly don't even know how I stumbled upon this story (and just in case you're wondering, no, I didn't use Stumbleupon.com or whatever)
This, I guess, is kind of a glimmer on the possible silver lining that exists around the dark cloud of newspaper journalism.
The Commercial Appeal in Memphis has uncovered a financial scandal that involves the FBI, a Christmas party and the city's mayor, Willie Herenton.
I'd qualify this as a big deal.
And guess what? The Commercial Appeal is the ONLY news outlet with the information.
The story has dissiminated to at least three or so other news media, but the Commerical Appeal is the only news source credited as being the originator of the information.
I'm not sure if that's a bad, good or great thing. One one hand it's a SCORE! for the home team.
On the other hand, it kind of shows that, in terms of the big head and long tail form of journalism, that the tail's not really up to much which shows that newspapers ARE still the main source for news which would then mean that they have a reason for living.....
...but then again, this is just one story.
*shrug*
This, I guess, is kind of a glimmer on the possible silver lining that exists around the dark cloud of newspaper journalism.
The Commercial Appeal in Memphis has uncovered a financial scandal that involves the FBI, a Christmas party and the city's mayor, Willie Herenton.
I'd qualify this as a big deal.
And guess what? The Commercial Appeal is the ONLY news outlet with the information.
The story has dissiminated to at least three or so other news media, but the Commerical Appeal is the only news source credited as being the originator of the information.
I'm not sure if that's a bad, good or great thing. One one hand it's a SCORE! for the home team.
On the other hand, it kind of shows that, in terms of the big head and long tail form of journalism, that the tail's not really up to much which shows that newspapers ARE still the main source for news which would then mean that they have a reason for living.....
...but then again, this is just one story.
*shrug*
Murdoch: Pimpin' Papers is Preferable
First let me say that I find the above cartoon completely hilarious....and oh, so, so, so sad.
But, on to the blog!
News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch was recently quoted as saying that U.S. newspapers need to begin charging for online content if they wish to survive.
Sorry Ru, but in my opinion, it's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too late for this.
To support my point, let me tell a quick story: I was sitting next to one of my journalism professors in a digital media workshop on Friday when, in reference to blogging and other types of on-line indy journalism, he said, "I just can't get used to the idea of giving it away for free. I mean, we're not even whoring it out. We're total sluts."
It's a beautiful analogy.
Changing to charging for newspaper content at this point, is pointless and won't work.
To bring it to the gutter a bit more, let me pose a question: How in the world are we going to go from being total sluts to being top-notch call girls? As good as our "content" might be, most people are not going to start paying for it when they've been getting it for free for oh so long.
Still, Murdoch, the King of Media, is trying to rouse a rebellion against search engines
Questioning whether the newspaper industry should continue to allow online news aggregators, like Google, to aggregate newspaper content without being compensated for it, Murdoch basically said "Hell No!" at a recent cable news industry gathering.
Seriously Ru?....can they?
I doubt it.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
I'm still not hopeful. And, I'm not the only one.
My own mother sent me this little gem in the mail the other day.
If you're having trouble seeing it, click here for a larger image.
And this comment about the cartoon is priceless: "The news is very grave folks!
The Mourning News: we’re in tomb with the times..."
It definitely brings the LOL's.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
New Blood, New Life, New Media: The Youth Are Speaking
Didn't I tell y'all that journalism will find a way to survive?
Case in point: YouthRadio.org
Here, young people -- tweens, teens and twenty-somethings -- are finding their voice and broadcasting it online.
They pitch stories to National Public Radio and sometimes they get on.
But honestly, isn't viral more vital for the future?
In it's recently released The State of the News Media annual report on American Journalism, the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism calls audio "well suited to the digital transition."
Covering stories that I don't think anyone but they could cover correctly -- from police shootings in Oakland, to black market junk food at schools with healthy food policies -- the youth are speaking.
Thank God.
An Interview with True Black Television
A 16-year-old from rural North Carolina thinks he can change the course of television targeted at blacks in America.
His name is Tevan Savage and he's already making moves with his own online network called True Black Television. Check it out on Youtube.
He talked with me via email. Find his interview below.
Nossip: Where does your passion about "quality black programming" come from?
Tevan Savage: "Well, I was a big fan of UPN. ...But, then in 2006, they merged with The WB, I knew what was happening, but could not stop it. Then, when The CW came, my area got MyNet and I was without the few shows left. I was a big fan of "Girlfriends" because it reminded me of "Living Single," so I tried hard to see The CW. But, in 2008, they cancelled it. I am now able to get The CW and I see them trying to ax of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "The Game."
Once they are gone, what do we as black people have to represent us?
It is a shame that BET and TV One say that they are here to entertain us, but we have relied on those white-owned networks for our entertainment. So, on June 25, 2008, I had the idea. I mapped out where I want to go with this, then on June 29, I launched True Black Television on YouTube.
Tevan Savage: "Well, I was a big fan of UPN. ...But, then in 2006, they merged with The WB, I knew what was happening, but could not stop it. Then, when The CW came, my area got MyNet and I was without the few shows left. I was a big fan of "Girlfriends" because it reminded me of "Living Single," so I tried hard to see The CW. But, in 2008, they cancelled it. I am now able to get The CW and I see them trying to ax of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "The Game."
Once they are gone, what do we as black people have to represent us?
It is a shame that BET and TV One say that they are here to entertain us, but we have relied on those white-owned networks for our entertainment. So, on June 25, 2008, I had the idea. I mapped out where I want to go with this, then on June 29, I launched True Black Television on YouTube.
N: Why did you pick the Internet as an outlet for TrueBlackTelevision?
TS: "Running a channel on cable, satellite, or broadcast would cost millions a month. I only make a few hundred dollars a month, so YouTube was my only choice.
N: How do you feel black media such as BET, TVOne, Ebony, Essence, Vibe, Jet, and black newspapers are using the Internet these days?
TS: "Well, BET (Black Entertainment Television) is using the internet as an extention of the network itself. If you missed an episode of your favorite BET show, you watch online. I admit I did catch "Somebodies" online while I was working on TBT.
TV One's website I don't really know too much about, but I feel that is also serves as an extention of their network.
N: Do you hope to find a place for the station on "real" television (i.e. cable, satellite?) If so, why? If not, why not?
TS: "Of course I do. The only reason that I started my network on the Internet was because that was my only option. I am hoping to build a fan base through the internet and build enough revenue to go onto cable and satellite television with ease. But, I will always keep TBT running on sites like YouTube, I can't forget how it all started.
Tempted to "tune in"? Learn more about his vision here.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Registration starting for Digital Media Conference
Save the date: June 25, 2009.
That's when the Digital Media Conference with take place in Virginia.
Topics include digital media trends, how to make money off of online videos (a.k.a. "the third screen"), the death of newspapers, and the "evolution of online advertising".
Hmmm, if you ask me, it sounds like media outlets should have been and should start sending their remaining journalists to this conference instead of ASNE, NABJ, UNITY, etc.
AND! Here's the best part: the conference has cocktails on the schedule from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. to end out the day.
That's when the Digital Media Conference with take place in Virginia.
Topics include digital media trends, how to make money off of online videos (a.k.a. "the third screen"), the death of newspapers, and the "evolution of online advertising".
Hmmm, if you ask me, it sounds like media outlets should have been and should start sending their remaining journalists to this conference instead of ASNE, NABJ, UNITY, etc.
AND! Here's the best part: the conference has cocktails on the schedule from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. to end out the day.
Yes, it is the end of the newspaper world as we know it
Chalk it up to mental fatigue, or weakness, or deliriousness, or just a reality check; but I give up.
I have a prediction that I think is spot on: Newspapers will all die by 2012.
There is no hope.
It's a done deal.
And quite honestly, I'm tired of talking about saving them.
Journalism however will survive.
And honestly, isn't that all that really matters?
OK, so maybe some of my favorite journalists and editors -- some of the most talented people I know from publications that I totally respect -- may not be able to eat off of their talents.
Well, it's time to evolve.
And excuse me for sounding snarky, but that's what's supposed to happen: people, things, concepts, animals change/evolve/move-on or they die.
It's time we face the music and just deal with it.
....did that count as a blog post? Well, if not, I'll count it as therapy. I had to get that out.
I have a prediction that I think is spot on: Newspapers will all die by 2012.
There is no hope.
It's a done deal.
And quite honestly, I'm tired of talking about saving them.
Journalism however will survive.
And honestly, isn't that all that really matters?
OK, so maybe some of my favorite journalists and editors -- some of the most talented people I know from publications that I totally respect -- may not be able to eat off of their talents.
Well, it's time to evolve.
And excuse me for sounding snarky, but that's what's supposed to happen: people, things, concepts, animals change/evolve/move-on or they die.
It's time we face the music and just deal with it.
....did that count as a blog post? Well, if not, I'll count it as therapy. I had to get that out.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Just giving it away: Guardian launches API
Honestly, I didn't know what API stood for, but a quick Google search and it all began to make sense.....well, sort of.
Now that the Guardian is going Web, it's decided to provide full access to all of its content as well as data sets.
The benefit to the Guardian and other newspapers, to me, is still a bit unclear.
But according to the Guardian, the open interface (i.e. full, free articles for everyone to pretty much use however they like), is "so that everyone can benefit from our journalism, our brand, and the technologies that power guardian.co.uk."
The comments at the bottom of the ReadWriteWeb story are all positive. Folks are happy that newspapers are finally waking up and seeing where the future is going to be.
I'm honestly, still a bit confused....it seems as if this is all free. On the registration page for this service, they only ask for basic info and a phone number. No credit card number required....so how praytell does this actually make money?
Then I stumbled across this article which states: It's pretty simple really: The Guardian's new "open platform" will enable content partners to re-use online and back-dated printed content (a million or so articles, dating back to 1999) in their own Web pages totally for free, in return for developing the newspaper's online advertising network--rules for which are built into the API's terms and conditions."
To say the least, it'll be interesting to watch what happens.
Now that the Guardian is going Web, it's decided to provide full access to all of its content as well as data sets.
The benefit to the Guardian and other newspapers, to me, is still a bit unclear.
But according to the Guardian, the open interface (i.e. full, free articles for everyone to pretty much use however they like), is "so that everyone can benefit from our journalism, our brand, and the technologies that power guardian.co.uk."
The comments at the bottom of the ReadWriteWeb story are all positive. Folks are happy that newspapers are finally waking up and seeing where the future is going to be.
I'm honestly, still a bit confused....it seems as if this is all free. On the registration page for this service, they only ask for basic info and a phone number. No credit card number required....so how praytell does this actually make money?
Then I stumbled across this article which states: It's pretty simple really: The Guardian's new "open platform" will enable content partners to re-use online and back-dated printed content (a million or so articles, dating back to 1999) in their own Web pages totally for free, in return for developing the newspaper's online advertising network--rules for which are built into the API's terms and conditions."
To say the least, it'll be interesting to watch what happens.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Care of UNITY: More Nossip Potpourri
Rocky Mountain News Was a Pioneer in Diversity Hiring
The venerable Denver Rocky Mountain News, which printed its final edition after a 150-year run on Friday, was a pioneer in diversity hiring, according to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.In 2003, the paper was the first in the nation to work with the association to improve upon the news coverage and newsroom hiring of Hispanics.Read more at HispanicBusiness.com.Read the last issue of the Rocky Mountain News and tributes to its accomplishments.
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Courant Cutting About 100 JobsThe Hartford Courant is eliminating about 100 jobs this week, mostly by layoffs, as the longtime slide in advertising revenues gains speed in 2009.The cuts include about 30 writing, editing and news support positions, bringing the news staff to 135 -- down from 235 at the start of 2008. With the layoffs, the newspaper will no longer have a reporter assigned to Washington, D.C.Read more at the Hartford Courant.
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Al Dia in Dallas Down to Two Print EditionsSpanish-language newspaper Al Día has cut back to two print editions per week, as A.H. Belo, corporate parent of the free Dallas broadsheet, looks to lower costs and eliminate more jobs.Effective the week of February 16, Al Día is only distributed on Wednesdays and Saturdays - with a combined press run of about 215,000 copies - down from a six-day, Monday-Saturday schedule.Read more in Hispanic Market Weekly.
The venerable Denver Rocky Mountain News, which printed its final edition after a 150-year run on Friday, was a pioneer in diversity hiring, according to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.In 2003, the paper was the first in the nation to work with the association to improve upon the news coverage and newsroom hiring of Hispanics.Read more at HispanicBusiness.com.Read the last issue of the Rocky Mountain News and tributes to its accomplishments.
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Courant Cutting About 100 JobsThe Hartford Courant is eliminating about 100 jobs this week, mostly by layoffs, as the longtime slide in advertising revenues gains speed in 2009.The cuts include about 30 writing, editing and news support positions, bringing the news staff to 135 -- down from 235 at the start of 2008. With the layoffs, the newspaper will no longer have a reporter assigned to Washington, D.C.Read more at the Hartford Courant.
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Al Dia in Dallas Down to Two Print EditionsSpanish-language newspaper Al Día has cut back to two print editions per week, as A.H. Belo, corporate parent of the free Dallas broadsheet, looks to lower costs and eliminate more jobs.Effective the week of February 16, Al Día is only distributed on Wednesdays and Saturdays - with a combined press run of about 215,000 copies - down from a six-day, Monday-Saturday schedule.Read more in Hispanic Market Weekly.
Nossip Potpourri: Part Deux
Inquirer owner files for bankruptcy protectionPhiladelphia Newspapers, which also owns the Daily News, says the filing allows it to restructure debt load.Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, which owns The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com, filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday in a bid to restructure its $390 million in debt load.Read more at Philly.com.
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More layoffs likely at The Bee as McClatchy tries to cut red ink
Analyst: Publisher can't raise stock above $1 to keep from being delistedBuyouts, layoffs, pay cuts and mandatory furloughs are all on the table as The Sacramento Bee works up a plan to help its owner cut expenses by about $110 million over the next year, The Newspaper Guild said.Read more in the Sacramento Business Journal.
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Sale deadline passes, 'Tucson Citizen' likely to quit in MarchTUCSON - Gannett Co. Inc.'s self-imposed deadline to receive bids for the Tucson Citizen has passed with no apparent offers, making it likely the 138-year-old paper will stop publication in March, the newspaper reported.Read more at AZCentral.com.Journal Register Seeks BankrupcyThe Journal Register Company, publisher of The New Haven Register in Connecticut and other newspapers, filed for Chapter 11 protection on Saturday.Read more in The New York Times.
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And the funniest media-related thing I've read/heard all week?
Drum roll puh-leeeeeeze!
Why the Twitter media craze? "Because were rotting corpses grabbing for any glimmer of relevance." -- Samantha Bee.
Nossip Potpourri
The ASNE Reporter, the student newspaper project that was suspended by the American Society of Newspaper Editors for the first time in its two decades, will continue this year after all, Scott Bosley, the ASNE executive director, said on Wednesday. "We cobbled together pieces of support. It's going to work," Bosley told Journal-isms. However, the project will be online only and restricted to Chicago-area students to save on housing expenses. The ASNE convention, which the students will cover, takes place in Chicago from April 26 to 29.....that was the notice last week.....but later, ASNE reported that the entire convention is canceled due to "challenging times" being faced by its membership.
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Norfolk Paper Ends Multicultural Magazine Amid LayoffsThe Virginian-Pilot, battling the recession, will lay off 30 more workers, including black journalist Duane Bourne, a police reporter, and shut down Mix Magazine, edited by veteran black journalist Wil LaVeist, the Norfolk, Va., newspaper said recently.
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Declining advertising revenue led to layoffs this week at the Yakima Herald-Republic, even as the company announced a deal to bolster revenue by printing the Daily Record of Ellensburg.From four to six employees have been or will be laid off from the 38,077-circulation Herald-Republic, depending on whether one or two of them can be transferred within the company, publisher Michael Shepard said Thursday. He would not say which departments of the paper are losing employees. Only one, a copy editor, is from the paper's newsroom.Read more in the Yakima Herald-Republic.
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Norfolk Paper Ends Multicultural Magazine Amid LayoffsThe Virginian-Pilot, battling the recession, will lay off 30 more workers, including black journalist Duane Bourne, a police reporter, and shut down Mix Magazine, edited by veteran black journalist Wil LaVeist, the Norfolk, Va., newspaper said recently.
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Declining advertising revenue led to layoffs this week at the Yakima Herald-Republic, even as the company announced a deal to bolster revenue by printing the Daily Record of Ellensburg.From four to six employees have been or will be laid off from the 38,077-circulation Herald-Republic, depending on whether one or two of them can be transferred within the company, publisher Michael Shepard said Thursday. He would not say which departments of the paper are losing employees. Only one, a copy editor, is from the paper's newsroom.Read more in the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Without newspapers...
Perhaps I shouldn't blog about this.
For the past few weeks I've been trying to come up with at least three instances of how not having newspapers would hinder some of our favorite movies.
I havent' been doing too too well, but here are .... well, at least three cinematic/sitcom-based reasons why newspapers can not die.
1. The crazies - How in the world would movies such as the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind even be cool without crazies clipping out secret codes, conspiracy theories and such in the headlines and text of newspapers? In A Beautiful Mind, and many other great movies, the main character's wife is horrified to find the walls of her husband's office covered in circled newspaper clippings of conspiracies and meaningless codes.
2. The spin (literally) - EXTRA! EXTRA! WITHOUT NEWSPAPERS MANY MOVIES WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO LET THE AUDIENCE KNOW THAT SOMETHING IMPORTANT HAPPENED!...SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT THAT THE THING THAT HAPPENED HAS TO BE SHOWN IN A HUGE ALL-CAPS HEADLINE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF A NEWSPAPER THAT SPINS AT THE VIEWER!!!!
3. The trip down memory lane - Don't ask me why (of maybe you can blame the Nyquil...I was very ill), but last week I watched the movie Above the Rim. It's a terrible movie, but it reminded me of yet another reason why we (or at least films) shouldn't let all newspapers die: How are the main characters who are looking for redemption in movies supposed to take the viewer down memory lane if they don't have any collected newspaper clippings to refer to?....ESPECIALLY! sports figures?
.....my point exactly.
For the past few weeks I've been trying to come up with at least three instances of how not having newspapers would hinder some of our favorite movies.
I havent' been doing too too well, but here are .... well, at least three cinematic/sitcom-based reasons why newspapers can not die.
1. The crazies - How in the world would movies such as the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind even be cool without crazies clipping out secret codes, conspiracy theories and such in the headlines and text of newspapers? In A Beautiful Mind, and many other great movies, the main character's wife is horrified to find the walls of her husband's office covered in circled newspaper clippings of conspiracies and meaningless codes.
2. The spin (literally) - EXTRA! EXTRA! WITHOUT NEWSPAPERS MANY MOVIES WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO LET THE AUDIENCE KNOW THAT SOMETHING IMPORTANT HAPPENED!...SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT THAT THE THING THAT HAPPENED HAS TO BE SHOWN IN A HUGE ALL-CAPS HEADLINE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF A NEWSPAPER THAT SPINS AT THE VIEWER!!!!
3. The trip down memory lane - Don't ask me why (of maybe you can blame the Nyquil...I was very ill), but last week I watched the movie Above the Rim. It's a terrible movie, but it reminded me of yet another reason why we (or at least films) shouldn't let all newspapers die: How are the main characters who are looking for redemption in movies supposed to take the viewer down memory lane if they don't have any collected newspaper clippings to refer to?....ESPECIALLY! sports figures?
.....my point exactly.
Tweet? More like "Snark"
This is my blog, so I can say what I want.
It recently came to my attention that many Congressmen were Twittering/Tweeting during President Barack Obama's speech on Tuesday night.
A blog from the Guardian asks if it was inappropriate. My answer: Hell yes.
These new technologies, in the wrong hands and at the wrong time, can be more than a detriment to getting things accomplished. And in this case it was absolutely juvenile.
Case in point: I take a 400-level course in the Annenberg School where I am surrounded by underclassmen. Recently, at the end of an in-class speech by a visiting, well-established entertainment quasi-icon, we were allowed to ask questions. As one of the underclassmen stood up to ask a semi-significant question, a gaggle of her fellow students preceded to say, loudly might I add, "Gag me with a spoon."
According to me, that, is the equivalent of these politicians Tweeting during Presient Obama's speech.
Dana Milbank of The Washington Post (in the link above) put it best: "It's bad enough that Americans are paralyzed by economic jitters. Now the president has to deal with lawmakers paralyzed by Twitter."
If you ask me, this is just another case of when technology usage goes wrong.
It recently came to my attention that many Congressmen were Twittering/Tweeting during President Barack Obama's speech on Tuesday night.
A blog from the Guardian asks if it was inappropriate. My answer: Hell yes.
These new technologies, in the wrong hands and at the wrong time, can be more than a detriment to getting things accomplished. And in this case it was absolutely juvenile.
Case in point: I take a 400-level course in the Annenberg School where I am surrounded by underclassmen. Recently, at the end of an in-class speech by a visiting, well-established entertainment quasi-icon, we were allowed to ask questions. As one of the underclassmen stood up to ask a semi-significant question, a gaggle of her fellow students preceded to say, loudly might I add, "Gag me with a spoon."
According to me, that, is the equivalent of these politicians Tweeting during Presient Obama's speech.
Dana Milbank of The Washington Post (in the link above) put it best: "It's bad enough that Americans are paralyzed by economic jitters. Now the president has to deal with lawmakers paralyzed by Twitter."
If you ask me, this is just another case of when technology usage goes wrong.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Speaking of reports....
In conjunction with UNITY, a collaboration of journalists of color, theloop21.com released their report on race and the media today.
Find the report, Journalism in Color: A special report on medi and race, here....but be patient. I think high volumes of traffic are slowing the site.
I havent' been able to get on it yet to see what the overall findings were.
But I wanted you all to know about it.
Find the report, Journalism in Color: A special report on medi and race, here....but be patient. I think high volumes of traffic are slowing the site.
I havent' been able to get on it yet to see what the overall findings were.
But I wanted you all to know about it.
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